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Google Keeps Making Smartphones Worse (jacobin.com)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by JairajDevadiga@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Google’s Android, the world’s most widely used mobile operating system, started life as open-source software. In its quest for ever-greater profits, the tech giant has been gradually eroding Android’s open-source nature over the last decade.

Originally published on The Lever, but that one asks you to sign up.

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[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I'm on hyperos and every time I have to touch anything pure Google I feel like I'm on a windows PC.

Don't get me wrong, hyperos isn't a pinnacle of freedom, but all I do with my phone is basically using Firefox and take photos (+ signal, & SMS) and use the lichess app.

It's so infuriating, they steal our data, but just needs more. I'll try a Linux FOSS system next phone.

[-] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

The obfuscated nature of compiled code does an incredible amount of heavy lifting on behalf of shareholders. Imagine a world where x-ray specs suddenly revealed source code. The flight to open solutions would be irresistible. Windows is hot garbage but it clings to its market share like a limpet, through the magic of closed source, occupying space like a flabby tumour. It doesn't care if it kills the host because the top priority is growth and an unassailable market share. That's the magic of capitalism.

[-] dutchkimble@lemy.lol 0 points 1 week ago

The best thing about switching to an iPhone is that I use my phone way lesser

[-] Patches@ttrpg.network 0 points 1 week ago

I can't tell what this is a dig about. Less Apps available? Less required maintenance time? Less Notification spam? Or?

But I'm all for it.

[-] Captainautism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 week ago

I can offer an answer as a former lover of android (12 years)…

I used to do all of the phone modding/flashing roms etc. it was like I could never be just satisfied with my phone. After years of this, I got tired of the nagging in my head to improve it. So, I switched to Apple, and it just works and I don’t feel as though I’m missing out on anything.

So, yes I don’t have to be on my phone all of them time other than when I actually need it.

[-] Canuck@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 week ago

Mobile GNU/Linux is getting better, but I think it is 5-10 years out from what's needed. I suppose people need to adopt Desktop first. The nice thing is you can install Android apps including Google Play on it natively, and they appear in your app drawer like a regular app

[-] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

you can install Android apps including Google Play on it natively

What whaaaat? I didn't know this! Thanks for the tip

[-] LodeMike@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago

Yeah how the hell do you do this?

[-] jabjoe@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

My big problem is banks and satnav.

SatNav need traffic info and there is none, so their routes are bad.

Banks require apps to even use their website for "secure codes". Those apps try to detect ROMs and refuse to run, not even really being Android is going to make passing that harder.

Let alone random things like parking apps where the app is the only way to pay.

This is a political problem as much as technical. Competition is basically dead. We need government to step in and make competition possible. But they are in big tech's pocket and the status quo suits them too. Voters either don't care or believe what big tech says. It's a mess.

[-] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

Still use my Windows Phones with Windows 10 Mobile as my daily drivers. Best OS to date.

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's almost like the organization itself is designed to make things worse if it means short term profits, useful and appreciated apps sacrificed at the altar of line must go up

My pixel 5 recently broke and the only reason I went with a pixel 9a was to install grapheneOS on it as soon as I got it. The process has become way easier than it used to be. After setting up/skipping all the first run screens I plugged it into another Android device and used the grapheneOS site to run the install, took like 15 min.

[-] mazzilius_marsti@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

hows your experience with graphene? Better than stock? I heard they have a sandboxed Google Play store now, so getting apps is even easier.

[-] whotookkarl@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

So far it's been good for about a week. Highlights have been the easy install, secure by default but lets me override when I want (block app network access on install is awesome), and getting access to the other app repos than Google's I haven't seen since I installed dirty unicorns years ago. I setup multiple users so I can keep my primary like a root which was also simple to do.

Only complaints I have are when I get messages on another user than primary I can see the messages in the app but not the message content in the notification, its just a generic alert message like new messages received. Nice to have but not going to make me switch back. And the keyboard doesn't have swipe typing so I use gboard with network access turned off.

Also I did install the Google app store to get a couple paid apps and calendar/contacts I need to move out of Google. It does sandbox by default which is really cool and i think should be required for phone manufacturers. I just disabled services/store/calendar access to the network after I let it download everything.

Edit: also not a OS thing but I tried switching VPN to orbot/tor at the same time and it is still really unreliable for that use with the way so many sites try to sniff out your location

[-] witten@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Only complaints I have are when I get messages on another user than primary I can see the messages in the app but not the message content in the notification, its just a generic alert message like new messages received. Nice to have but not going to make me switch back.

I haven't confirmed it, but enabling "Sensitive notifications" or a similar setting might fix this. Although it is more secure in theory not to have your message content visible on a locked screen.

Also I did install the Google app store to get a couple paid apps and calendar/contacts I need to move out of Google. It does sandbox by default which is really cool and i think should be required for phone manufacturers. I just disabled services/store/calendar access to the network after I let it download everything.

FYI you can use Aurora Store instead to download from Google Play, and even use it anonymously. It's sometimes buggy, but IMO the tradeoff is maybe worth it.

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[-] majster@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 week ago

MS keeps making Windows worse but that is not a problem because Linux is great on PCs. The reason is that PC is made out of standardized plug&play components that you can make generic OS image for.

There is no such thing in smartphone world. Each chipset is it's own Linux fork that gets only most crucial bug fixes while in warranty. Same is true for ARM SBCs where I believe the only board that supports generic image are new RPis.

[-] Natanael@infosec.pub 1 points 1 week ago

Both ARM itself and Linux for ARM has been standardizing a fair bit recently. But not to the extent to be fully generic, mostly just enough for portable bootable kernels - and after that you still need all the same custom drivers and configurations to make proper use of a SoC, but it's not nothing.

https://linuxgizmos.com/ebbr-spec-to-bring-standardization-to-embedded-linux-boot-process/

[-] forrcaho@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

I'm thinking about getting the new FairPhone 6 when it comes out and running /e/ OS, but I'm so reliant on Google Maps and Gmail (my email account, not necessarily the app ... but I do rely on the app).

I'm afraid that I'll either install Google apps and end up with a phone just as compromised as a stock Android install, or if I don't it will be too much of a pain in the ass to use.

[-] witten@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

There are Maps alternatives. For instance, Organic maps or the fork CoMaps. Not nearly as good UX as Google Maps.. and zero traffic data available.. but the upside is they work entirely offline.

[-] jabjoe@feddit.uk 1 points 1 week ago

Organic Maps is great in many ways. It's maps are so much better. But the lack of traffic data is a killer for route planning in the UK. All the open source maps suffer this. There needs to be open access traffic information for there to be competition.

[-] witten@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

As far as I know, traffic data is gathered via spying on users—Google Maps and similar apps sending device location to a central cloud service. Maybe somebody could provably anonymize the data somehow to make an alternative service for the open competitors to use.

[-] midtsveen@lemmy.wtf 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Android has always taken the approach of it being developed in private and then having the full sources and commit history published for each stable release.

We're going to be moving forward under the expectation that future Pixel devices may not meet the requirements to run GrapheneOS.

Many companies and individuals are trying to mislead people about the future of GrapheneOS to promote their insecure products and services.

European authoritarians and their enablers in the media are misrepresenting GrapheneOS and even Pixel phones as if they're something for criminals.

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this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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